View source for Slyck.com

{{short description|Technology news website (defunct)}}
{{Infobox website
| name             =
| logo             = [[File:Slyck.png|190px|Logo.]]
| screenshot       =
| caption          =
| collapsible      =
| collapsetext     =
| url              = [https://web.archive.org/web/20200308142413/http://www.slyck.com/ Slyck.com]
| commercial       =
| type             = News site with articles about P2P networking and file sharing
| registration     = Optional (to post on forum)
| language         = English
| owner            = Tom Mennecke
| author           = Tom Mennecke, Ray Hoffmann
| launch_date      = 2000<ref name="slyck20"/> (as Slyway); 2001<ref>{{cite web | title=Slyck.com | website=Archiveteam | date=2022-02-01 | url=https://wiki.archiveteam.org/index.php/Slyck.com | access-date=2024-06-13}}</ref> (renamed Slyck)
| revenue          =
| current_status   = Offline<ref name="Freezenet">{{cite web | last=Wilson | first=Drew | title=The Beginning, The Middle, The End | website=Freezenet.ca | date=2020-04-14 | url=https://www.freezenet.ca/slyck-com-the-beginning-the-middle-the-end/ | access-date=2024-06-13}}</ref>
| content_license  =
}}
'''Slyck''' was a website that produced and aggregated [[file sharing]] news stories, as well as offering a [[Internet forum|forum]] for users.
==History==
Ray Hoffman began operating Slyck.com as Slyway.com in 2000,<ref name="slyck20">"[http://www.slyck.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21321 Slyck 2.0]" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114153458/http://slyck.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21321 |date=2010-01-14 }} Slyck forum, April 5, 2006.</ref> which initially was an aggregate news site with some original content, and contained guides to the most popular file-sharing resources at the time, whilst providing statistics of P2P file sharing networks, which included [[Napster]], [[iMesh]], Scour, [[Usenet]] and [[IRC]]. On the 10th of August 2001, Slyway was renamed Slyck.
== Impact ==
Due to the lack of mainstream news coverage on P2P topics, file sharing, and discussion of copyright legislation, Slyck had a significant impact as a news site: ''[[New Scientist]]'' cited Slyck as a "popular file sharing news site",<ref>[https://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6830 "Movie file-sharing hubs poised to decentralise"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315061825/http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6830 |date=2008-03-15 }}. Will Knight, ''NewScientist.com,'' December 22, 2004.</ref> ''Digital Audio Essentials'' (2004) referred to Slyck as "an excellent resource"<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=w0vsd5z2Rg4C&pg=PA94 ''Digital Audio Essentials'']. Bruce Fries and Marty Fries, [[O'Reilly Media]], 2005. p&nbsp;94. {{ISBN|978-0-596-00856-7}}. Retrieved 2010-07-14.</ref> for news and information on file sharing, and in ''Steal This Computer Book 4.0'' (2006) the site was considered to be "up to date on the latest file sharing technology and news".<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=nMwy2y_4VFcC&dq=slyck.com&pg=PT183 ''Steal This Computer Book 4.0'']. Wallace Wang, [[No Starch Press]], 2006. p&nbsp;165. {{ISBN|978-1-59327-105-3}}. Retrieved 2010-07-14.</ref>
==Content==
The website conducted interviews with file sharing software developers and intellectual property role players, maintaining statistics of P2P file sharing networks, and notably shed light on the developing conflict between file sharing users and intellectual property owners, which covered the legal battle against copyright and intellectual property infringement, such as the takedown of torrent websites like [[LokiTorrent]]<ref>[http://www.slyck.com/story661_LokiTorrent_caves_to_MPAA  "LokiTorrent caves to MPAA"] Thomas Mennecke, Slyck.com, February 10, 2005</ref> and [[Suprnova.org]],<ref>[http://www.slyck.com/story626_Suprnovaorg_Closes Torrents "Suprnova.org Closes"] Thomas Mennecke, Slyck.com, December 19, 2004</ref> events that were covered in mainstream media from input by the intellectual property owners, which lacked the views of file sharing users which Slyck coverage aimed to represent. Notably, Slyck extensively covered BitTorrent website [[The Pirate Bay]], and the efforts by Swedish and other national authorities to shut down and prosecute the founders and operators of The Pirate Bay. Slyck covered other news topics such as rollout of [[broadband]] Internet, new and emerging technologies, device hardware, and advances in computer networking.
Slyck news writers were able to interview notable individuals such as:
* Michael Weiss of [[StreamCast]],<ref>[http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=220 "Interview with the CEO of StreamCast Networks"]. Slyck News, August 16, 2003.</ref> [[Nir Arbel]] of [[SoulSeek]], and <ref>[http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=356 "SoulSeek Interview"],  Thomas Mennecke, Slyck News, December 26, 2003.</ref> [[Pablo Soto (software developer)|Pablo Soto]] of Optisoft S.L<ref>[http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=396 "Interview with Pablo Soto of the Manolito P2P Network"],  Thomas Mennecke, Slyck News, February 17, 2004</ref>  and Kevin Hearn<ref>[http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=355 "WinMX Interview"].  Thomas Mennecke, Slyck News, December 25, 2003.</ref><ref>[http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/2003/winmx.html "The Future of WinMX"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208040446/http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/2003/winmx.html |date=2007-02-08 }} Thomas Mennecke, MP3newswire.net, January 27, 2003.</ref> of [[WinMX]] were interviewed regarding their software and P2P networks.
* [[Jon Lech Johansen]], nicknamed DVDJon, was interviewed,<ref>[http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=733 Slyck.com Interviews Jon Lech Johansen]. Thomas Mennecke, Slyck News, April 4, 2005.</ref> regarding the [[DeCSS]] software that allowed for DVD discs to be played on the Linux Operating System, and allowed for development of duplicating software for DVD discs.
* [[Muslix64]],<ref>[http://www.slyck.com/story1390.html "Interview with muslix64, Developer of BackupHDDVD"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070126075757/http://www.slyck.com/story1390.html |date=2007-01-26 }}. Slyck.com, January 24, 2007</ref> a software hacker who first circumvented the [[Advanced Access Content System|AACS]] protection scheme for HD DVD and Blu-ray discs, discussed his reasons for the circumvention of the Digital Rights Management software.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6301301.stm "Hi-def DVD security is bypassed"]. BBC News, January 26, 2007.</ref><ref>[https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2007/01/why-one-angry-customer-broke-aacs "Why One Angry Customer Broke AACS"]<!--was https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005094.php-->. Derek Slater, [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]], January 26, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197001006 "Hacker Opens Crack In High-Def Movie DRM - HD movie player format cracked"]. Antone Gonsalves, [[InformationWeek]], January 26, 2007.</ref>
* Dean Garfield, then head of the [[MPAA]]'s legal team, was interviewed by Nicholas Parr about the MPAA's legal campaign against movie piracy.<ref>[http://www.slyck.com/story1036_Slyck_Interviews_the_MPAA "Slyck Interviews the MPAA"]. Nicholas Parr, Slyck.com, December 22, 2005.</ref>
== Legal threat ==
In March 2010, Slyck was threatened with legal action<ref>[http://www.slyck.com/story1923__Wank_Plan_Goes_Wrong_ACSLaw_Threatens_Slyckcom_With_a_Lawsuit "Wank Plan Goes Wrong ACS:Law Threatens Slyck.com With a Lawsuit"]. Thomas Mennecke, Slyck News, March 21, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-28.</ref>  by the controversial<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8481790.stm Piracy letter campaign 'nets innocents'] BBC News, January 26, 2010.</ref><ref>[https://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/12/davenport_lyons_acs_law/ Major law firm drops filesharing threats - Staff continue 'bullying' at smaller outfit] Chris Williams, [[The Register]], May 12, 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-28.</ref> [[United Kingdom|UK]] law firm [[ACS:Law]] for defamation, due to comments made by forum users on Slyck.com's UK file sharing Allegations/Lawsuit Discussion sub-forum.<ref>[http://www.slyck.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=66&sid=318ffc33f8f1a22c405023a7c00badf1 "UK Filesharing Allegations/Lawsuit Discussion Sub Forum"]. Slyck Forum.</ref> Nothing came of the threatened legal action.
==Current status==
By June 2016 Slyck had ceased publishing new news articles, with the last file-sharing news article being posted on 16 June 2016.<ref>[http://www.slyck.com/story2484_Hacker_Posts_over_51_Million_iMesh_User_Accounts_for_Sale_on_the_Dark_Web "Hacker Posts over 51 Million iMesh User Accounts for Sale on the Dark Web"],  Amanda Marie, Slyck News, June 16, 2016. Retrieved 2017-07-16</ref>
As of April 2020, Slyck is no longer accessible.<ref name="Freezenet"/> The final archival by the [[Wayback Machine]] is dated 8 March 2020.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200308142413/http://www.slyck.com/ "Slyck.com"] Internet Archive, 2020-03-08. Retrieved 2024-06-13</ref>
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
==External links==
* {{official website|http://www.slyck.com/}}
[[Category:American technology news websites]]
[[Category:File sharing communities]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2001]]
[[Category:File sharing news sites]]